McMahon initially said he was appealing the loss to the Nevada State Athletic Commision after he claimed Browne threw several illegal elbows during the fight. He provided a picture of a cut on the back of McSweeney’s head as evidence of an off-limits strike, though he did not fault the UFC newcomer for the alleged no-no.

The manager said McSweeney’s corner met with a cageside doctor who agreed with his assessment.

“The doctor who took a look at James after the fight said, ‘I can tell you that (with) where this blow is, (it) could only have occurred from an illegal blow,'” McMahon said.

However, NSAC executive director Keith Kizer said he didn’t see anything illegal during the June 19 bout.

“[Browne] was curving his arm around and hitting him on the ear,” Kizer said. “Not elbows – punches. You could tell Browne was going out of his way not to hit McSweeney in the back of the head.”

Kizer today told MMAjunkie.com that he never received an appeal request.

“We are focusing our energy on James’ upcoming fight,” McMahon said.

McSweeney is working with a nutritionist and training at Denver’s Grudge Training Center to prepare for the Oct. 20 bout against Blackledge (10-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC). Since his turn on “TUF 10,” he is 1-1 inside the octagon.

“James and I have spoken at length on this issue, and (we) both agree that he needs to make a statement with his upcoming fight and show the world that he is a truly dominant fighter who can be a force at 205,” McMahon said.

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is probably the greatest female fighter on the planet, which is a tremendous feat. So why are we seemingly so obsessed with arguing about whether she could beat up men?